With TreVeyon Henderson already disqualified from the Indiana game, Ohio State running back Mian Williams had to be taken off the field with a serious leg injury.
Cluster injuries in Ohio State’s backcourt could keep the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff game.
While Ohio State No. 2 should improve to 10-0 on the season after beating Indiana 3-6 at home, an exhausted running room couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Buckeyes. They have two more convention games in Maryland next week, plus a real Big Ten East game against arch rival Michigan at The Horseshoe over Thanksgiving weekend. It is far from being cruel to them.
TreVeyon Henderson was unable to play against the Hoosiers and Miyan Williams was forced off the field in the first half.
FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft reports that Williams has already been disqualified for the remainder of the match.
This means new player Dalan Hayden will now be tasked with carrying the ball for the Buckeyes.
Running backroom injuries in Ohio State could hurt college football game prospects
Although the home’s no-conference win over Notre Dame looks better by the week, Ohio State still needs to win the last three games of the regular season to feel good about its chances of making the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes are better than the Terrapins, but Maryland’s Mike Locksley’s are bowl-bound and can put his attack points behind Taulia Tagovailoa, okay.
Not to say the Buckeyes will lose at The Shell next week, but arch rival Michigan is the No. 3 team in the country. They have a balanced offensive line led by first-year quarterback JJ McCarthy and Heisman Trophy hoping to undo Blake Corum. In short, Ohio State’s one-dimensional attack, heavy passing can be taken advantage of by a well-trained Michigan defense.
On top of that, even if Ohio State were to beat Michigan in Columbus and then whoever comes out of Big Ten West in Indianapolis, how sure can we win multiple playoffs without being able to run the ball? In all likelihood, Ohio State will have to beat Georgia to win its first national title since 2014. Dougs has already handled a heavy passing attack with Tennessee.
Ohio State can still win it all, but its path to doing so has become even more difficult with Williams injured.
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